262. If you were wondering . . .

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266. What's the difference between a ballerina and a minarette?

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One is born to do it, and the other has to be trained. I'm talking fruit trees; what else! Both are types of restricted fruit trees called columnar trees, and as that name suggests they are tall and thin. Really, they are just vertical cordons. Some trees grow like that naturally but they are unusual; one cultivar is Flamenco . However, any cultivar can be trained ie pruned to grow tall and thin. Pruning is the same as for cordons or espaliers:- Summer pruning, laterals to 3 buds above the basal cluster and sub-laterals to one bud above the basal cluster. This is my columnar tree, a cultivar called The Big Purple . (A minarette not a ballerina.)
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73. Stuck for something to read?

Try a William Boyd novel. They hook you from the start, have interesting and original plots and are not overly long. What's more there are lots of them, and relatively easy to find in second-hand bookshops. Perfect for a holiday read, if you are stuck on a difficult novel or just want something a bit different. His books sometimes feel like he has written them with the aid of a special book-kaleidoscope: twist it again, 10 bizarre plot-lines fall out and Boyd glues them together in 300 pages. Try one!
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337. Using grass to suppress grass (and weeds)

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I've been trying an experiment with my lawn-mowings. We now have a lot of raised beds for all the fruit trees and they get very weedy and take a long time to de-weed. So, I tried laying the fresh grass cuttings straight on the beds. (Saving time on composting too.) In a few days, they went brown. That was a month ago. Today:- No weeds, no grass, nothing. A (minor) miracle. I'm now going bananas with the technique.   Tell your friends, tell the world! And if you're only reading this to see the chicks . . .
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